The Model Prayer
1He was praying Lk 3:21 in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” Lk 5:33
Father, Other mss read Our Father in heaven Jn 20:17; 1Pt 1:17
Your name Ps 9:10; Jn 10:25; 17:6 be honored as holy. Is 29:23; Lk 1:49; 1Pt 3:15
Your kingdom come. Other mss add Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Mk 9:1
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us. Or everyone who wrongs us Mt 18:23-35
And do not bring us into temptation.” Other mss add But deliver us from the evil one Mt 26:41; Lk 4:13; 22:40,46; 1Co 10:1
Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking
5He also said to them: “Suppose one of you Lit Who of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Lit I have nothing to set before him
7Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’
8I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s persistence, Or annoying persistence, or shamelessness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. Lk 18:1-6
9“So Mt 7:7-11; Jn 14:13-14; 15:7; 16:24 I say to you, keep asking, Or you, ask Mt 18:19; 21:22; Mk 11:24; Jms 1:5-6,17; 1Jn 3:22; 5:14-15 and it will be given to you. Keep searching, Or Search Dt 4:29; 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 15:2; Pr 8:17; Is 55:6; Jr 29:13 and you will find. Keep knocking, Or Knock Lk 11:10; 12:36; 13:25; Ac 12:13,16; Rv 3:20 and the door will be opened to you.
10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11What father among you, if his son Other mss read son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?
12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13If you then, who are evil, Rm 12:17; 1Th 5:22; 2Tm 3:13 know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father Mt 5:48 give Lit the Father from heaven will give the Holy Spirit Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4,38; Rm 8:9 to those who ask Him? ”
A House Divided
14Now Mt 9:32-34; 12:22-30; Mk 3:22-27; Jn 7:20; 8:48,52; 10:20 He was driving out a demon Mk 7:26 that was mute. A demon that caused the man to be mute Mk 7:37; 9:15-25; Lk 7:22 When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed.
15But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, 2Kg 1:2; Mt 10:25 the ruler Lk 12:58 of the demons! ” Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Eph 2:2
17Knowing their thoughts, Lk 5:22; Php 2:6 He told them: “Every kingdom divided Dn 5:28; 11:4; Lk 12:52-53 against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls.
18If Satan Mt 4:1,10; Ac 13:10 also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom Lk 4:5 stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
19And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons Your exorcists Gl 3:7; 1Pt 5:13 drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges.
20If I drive out demons by the finger of God, Ex 8:19; 31:18; Dt 9:10; Ps 8:3 then the kingdom of God Mt 19:24; 21:31,43; Lk 17:21 has come to you.
21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. Lit his possessions are in peace
22But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers Jn 16:33; 1Jn 2:13 him, he takes from him all his weapons Gk panoplia, the armor and weapons of a foot soldier; Eph 6:11,13 Eph 6:11,13 he trusted Ac 26:28 in, and divides up his plunder. Is 49:24-26
23Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, Mk 9:40; Lk 9:50 and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
24“When Mt 12:43-45 an unclean spirit Mk 1:23-27; Lk 8:29; 9:42; Rv 18:2 comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, Mt 11:29; Rv 4:8; 14:11 and not finding rest, it then Other mss omit then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house where I came from.’
25And returning, it finds the house swept and put in order.
26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits Lv 26:18-28; Dt 7:1; Pr 6:31; 26:25; Lk 8:2 more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first.” Jn 5:14; 2Pt 2:20-22
True Blessedness
27As He was saying these things, a woman from the crowd Lk 12:3 raised her voice and said to Him, “The womb that bore You and the one who nursed You Lk 1:48; 23:29 are blessed! ”
28He said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God Lk 5:1; 8:21; Ac 13:7 and keep it Lv 22:31; Jn 13:17; Jms 1:22; Rv 1:3; 22:7 are blessed! ”
The Sign of Jonah
29As the crowds were increasing, He began saying: “This generation Lk 7:31; 17:25; 21:32 is an evil generation. Mt 12:39-42; Mk 8:12 It demands a sign, Lk 11:16 but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. Other mss add the prophet Jnh 1:1–4:9; Mt 16:4
30For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man Mk 2:10; Lk 5:24 will be to this generation.
31The queen of the south 1Kg 10:1; 2Ch 9:1 will rise up at the judgment Lk 10:14 with the men of this generation and condemn Heb 11:7 them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, 1Kg 4:34; Pr 1:1 and look — something greater than Solomon is here!
32The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation, and look — something greater than Jonah is here!
The Lamp of the Body
33“No Mt 5:15; Mk 4:21 one lights a lamp Lk 8:16 and puts it in the cellar or under a basket, Other mss omit or under a basket but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light.
34Your eye is the lamp of the body. Mt 6:22-23 When your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, Jr 24:8; Mt 7:17 your body is also full of darkness.
35Take care then, that the light in you is not darkness.
36If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.” Or shines on you with its rays
Religious Hypocrisy Denounced
37As He was speaking, a Pharisee Lk 7:36 asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and reclined at the table.
38When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that He did not first perform the ritual washing Lit He did not first wash Heb 6:2 before dinner. Mt 15:2; Mk 7:2-5
39But the Lord said to him: “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed Mt 23:25; Lk 12:20; 16:14; Heb 10:34 and evil. Mk 7:22
41But give from what is within to the poor, Or But donate from the heart as charity, Lk 12:33; Ac 24:17 and then everything is clean Ps 24:4; Ti 1:15 for you.
42“But woe Lk 10:13 to you Pharisees! You give a tenth Or a tithe Dt 14:22; Lk 18:12 of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass Or neglect justice Mc 6:8; Zch 7:9; Mt 12:18,20; Jn 7:24; Ac 8:33 and love for God. Lit the justice and the love of God Dt 6:5; Lk 10:27; Jn 5:42; 2Th 3:5 These things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43“Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat Mt 23:6; Mk 12:39; Lk 20:46 in the synagogues Jms 2:2 and greetings in the marketplaces.
44“Woe to you! Other mss read you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like unmarked graves; Mt 23:27 the people who walk over them don’t know it.”
45One of the experts in the law Lk 7:30 answered Him, “Teacher, when You say these things You insult us too.”
46Then He said: “Woe also to you experts in the law! You load people with burdens Mt 23:4; Ac 27:10; Gl 6:5 that are hard to carry, yet you yourselves don’t touch these burdens with one of your fingers. Mt 11:28-30; Ac 15:10
47“Woe to you! You build monuments Or graves to the prophets, Mt 2:23; Ac 7:52 and your fathers killed Lk 20:15 them.
48Therefore, you are witnesses Mt 23:31 that you approve Lit witnesses and approve Ac 22:20; Rm 1:32 the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their monuments. Other mss omit their monuments
49Because of this, the wisdom of God Pr 1:20-33; 8:1-36; Mt 23:34 said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, Lk 11:27; 13:1; 15:32; 21:9-10; Jn 13:16; Ac 1:2 and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 1Th 2:15; 2Tm 3:12
50so that this generation Lk 11:29 may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world Lit so that the blood of all . . . world may be required of this generation, Heb 9:26; Rv 18:24 —
51from the blood of Abel Gn 4:9-10; Heb 12:24; 1Jn 3:12 to the blood of Zechariah, 2Ch 24:20-22 who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.
“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible. Lit you, it will be required of this generation
52“Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge! 1Co 14:6 You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered 1Co 14:39 those who were going in.”
53When He left there, Other mss read And as He was saying these things to them the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose Mk 6:19; Gl 5:1 Him fiercely and to cross-examine Him about many things;
54they were lying in wait Ac 23:21 for Him to trap Him in something He said. Other mss add so that they might bring charges against Him Is 29:21; Mt 22:15; Mk 3:2; 12:13; Lk 20:20; Jn 8:6
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